A common assumption is that ambitious restaurants get better with age, controlling their jitters and working out their kinks.
This assumption has held true for Furusato Japanese Restaurant, which was established about 15 years ago in a small space near Sarit Center, an upscale mall in Nairobi’s Westlands area. In search of more space, the founding Koreans later moved the restaurant to Karuna Road near the General Mathenge junction.
Ample secured parking, al-fresco dining space, a wide Sushi bar and six teppanyaki tables set the tone for an exotic dining experience that has attracted a cultural mix of diners. The décor doesn’t try too hard and features highly polished and grained wooden tables that remain undressed.
The menu is bulky – both literally and in terms of the offerings, which include both Korean and Japanese items. The friendly and eloquent servers come in handy when diners cannot process all the information on the menu.
Chef Jojo Moise handles the sushi, and Chef Bien Acabo handles tepanyaki and a la carte, all of which are house specialties. Diners are mostly drawn to the teppanyaki, because it is prepared and served in front of them as they watch, with the occasional gigantic flames erupting from the grill.
Diners who prefer not to eat sushi can opt for the cooked items, such as prawn tempura, pork gyoza, chicken teriyaki, Japanese noodles, beef teriyaki and bibimbap.
I ordered one portion of salmon sushi and one portion of salmon sashimi. The sashimi, though shipped to Kenya superfrozen on dry ice, draped over the chopsticks with a striking suppleness and lacked the annoying stiffness that’s normally characteristic of sashimi-grade fish shipped long distances on ice.
The hot sake (Japanese wine extracted from rice) helped wash down the raw fish with impunity. Although a bit bitter at first, the taste grew on me.
Waiting time is under five minutes and service is great, especially if Kennedy Mboya waits on you. There’s a little Japan in Kenya!
Expert Review
A common assumption is that ambitious restaurants get better with age, controlling their jitters and working out their kinks. This...
A common assumption is that ambitious restaurants get better with age, controlling their jitters and working out their kinks.
This assumption has held true for Furusato Japanese Restaurant, which was established about 15 years ago in a small space near Sarit Center, an upscale mall in Nairobi’s Westlands area. In search of more space, the founding Koreans later moved the restaurant to Karuna Road near the General Mathenge junction.
Ample secured parking, al-fresco dining space, a wide Sushi bar and six teppanyaki tables set the tone for an exotic dining experience that has attracted a cultural mix of diners. The décor doesn’t try too hard and features highly polished and grained wooden tables that remain undressed.
The menu is bulky – both literally and in terms of the offerings, which include both Korean and Japanese items. The friendly and eloquent servers come in handy when diners cannot process all the information on the menu.
Chef Jojo Moise handles the sushi, and Chef Bien Acabo handles tepanyaki and a la carte, all of which are house specialties. Diners are mostly drawn to the teppanyaki, because it is prepared and served in front of them as they watch, with the occasional gigantic flames erupting from the grill.
Diners who prefer not to eat sushi can opt for the cooked items, such as prawn tempura, pork gyoza, chicken teriyaki, Japanese noodles, beef teriyaki and bibimbap.
I ordered one portion of salmon sushi and one portion of salmon sashimi. The sashimi, though shipped to Kenya superfrozen on dry ice, draped over the chopsticks with a striking suppleness and lacked the annoying stiffness that’s normally characteristic of sashimi-grade fish shipped long distances on ice.
The hot sake (Japanese wine extracted from rice) helped wash down the raw fish with impunity. Although a bit bitter at first, the taste grew on me.
Waiting time is under five minutes and service is great, especially if Kennedy Mboya waits on you. There’s a little Japan in Kenya!